U.S. Government Reopens After Historic Shutdown

An agreement has finally been reached and the United States government has officially reopened following the longest shutdown in the nation's history.  The agreement provides funding for most government agencies through January 30, with a critical exception for certain programs. Key components of the federal government, specifically those related to long-term projects and stability, have secured appropriations extending through September 2026.

While government agencies have officially re-opened, it doesn’t necessarily mean back to business as usual.  Employees are coming back to 6 weeks of backlogged emails and phone messages as well as their regular workloads.  As for air traffic, ending the furlough won’t magically make all flights return to normal.  Due to flight reductions and mass cancellations, it may take several days before flight schedules return to normal.  To make matters worse, if another agreement isn’t reached by the end of January, Congress will need to adopt continuing resolutions to continue funding until the regular appropriation bills are enacted.  Failure to adopt continuing resolutions could mean that federal employees and the U.S. citizens may be facing another shutdown.

As for the employees who have gone without a paycheck for 6 weeks, backpay will go out for some employees on Sunday, Nov. 16 while other employees will have to wait until Wednesday, Nov. 19.  While it may seem as if employees haven’t lost anything since they are receiving backpay, it doesn’t make up for the fact some employees paid bills late or missed payments all together, causing penalties, fees, and interest costs that will never be recovered.

There is some comforting news through all of this.  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will resume as normal, and the agreement secures funding for SNAP through most of 2026.  Other benefit programs are scheduled to resume normal services as well.

So what does this mean going forward?  This shutdown period was a good reminder for all individuals to have an emergency fund set aside.  The importance of having a well thought out budget and financial plan are now as important as ever.  For federal employees, Government Benefit Educators provides free, no obligation training on financial literacy and employee benefits which can help you prepare for the future.  If you would like to learn more, contact us today.